Gazette CLONDALKIN
hey, dolly: A living, breathing creation lies at the heart of a classic ballet, now set in the 1950s P17
December 10-16, 2015
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Ho! Ho! Ho! the man in red hits Big interview: town for YouTube and TV chef festive fun Donal Skehan is very busy – and cooking up even more ideas Page 16
Yeats fans: Literati gather at an eclectic exhibition celebrating artist’s legacy Page 8
sport Athletics:
O’Loughlin races his way to cross country win Page 30
Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you
The big man in red visited the Green Isle Hotel in Clondalkin last Sunday and a great afternoon was enjoyed by many, including Laura and Emma Murphy, pictured here in their lovely Christmas jumpers. There was entertainment for children all afternoon, including face painting, balloon modelling and an art and craft workshop. The festive fun will continue every weekend from 3pm to 5pm until December 20 and is free of charge for all to join in. Afternoon tea or luncheon is available to be enjoyed by the adults while little elves are kept out of mischief!
Gaeilgeoiri set to draw community together Irish speaking group intends to construct small estate where they can live together
Ian Begley Irish speaking enthusiasts are planning to develop and build a small estate in Clondalkin, where Irish speaking families can live and speak Irish together. The group intends to buy
lands and construct several houses in the area, based on a similar project in Belfast, which is now in its second generation. Cllr Breeda Bonner (Lab) raised this proposal in a motion at the November Clondalkin area committee
meeting. Brian Gavin of Irish Cultural Centre Aras Chronain said the organisation was backing this proposal and was constantly promoting the Irish language in a vibrant and lively way. “We work with all peo-
ple from Clondalkin and South Dublin County and loads of other organisations. We try to actively promote the Irish language as a living language,” he said. Full Story on Page 2
2 CLONDALKIN Gazette 10 December 2015
FastNews Recycle IT announces drop-off days for the festive season RECYCLE IT at Clondalkin Industrial Estate will operate free pre-Christmas and New Year recycling drop-off days. On Saturday, December 12, from 10am to 2pm, people can recycle electrical and electronic devices, which include televisions, computer equipment, stereos, large and small household appliances, or anything with a plug or a battery. Recycle IT will open early in the New Year for
community | Belfast has a similar development
Group plans estate for Irish speakers ian begley ibegley@dublingazette.com
anyone wishing to declutter their electronic goods for 2016, on Saturday, January 9, and Saturday, February 13, from 10am. For more information, visit www.recycleit.ie
Programme of Centenary events is launched A total of 35 community groups from across the county joined Mayor Sarah Holland (SF) at county hall for the launch of the council’s 2016 Centenary Programme of Events. The Ireland 2016 programme marks the centenary, with a year long programme of events in which everyone is invited to participate. Speaking at the event, Mayor Holland said: “When I read through the programme, I was overwhelmed by the imagination, creativity and diversity of ideas submitted. Our wonderful south Dublin libraries will host a wide range of history-based activities for all ages designed to deepen and broaden our understanding of this pivotal period in our history.”
IRISH speaking enthusiasts are planning to develop a small estate in Clondalkin, where Irishspeaking families can live and speak Irish together. The group intends to purchase land and construct several houses in the area, based on a similar project in Belfast, which is now in its second generation. The group is not looking for funding from the Government and is willing to get mortgages for the homes. At the November Clondalkin Area Committee meeting, Cllr Breeda Bonner (Lab) raised this proposal in a motion, where she said: “A group of Irish speakers are interested in establishing a Gaeltacht in Clondalkin. They wish to buy a site and to build houses for people whose first language is Irish.” In his response, chief executive Daniel Mcloughlin stated: “The development of Gaeltacht regions in the county is set out in the Gaeltacht Act 2012. It sets out to designate Gaeltacht language planning areas, Gaeltacht service towns and Irish language networks.” Cllr Bonner told the Gazette she intended to raise the motion again at the December area committee meeting as she deemed that the subject of the motion was not understood. “I’m was not talking about trying to establish it as a Gaeltacht because
that process has already come through. “There are a group of people in the Dublin area wishing to establish a place where other Irish speakers can live beside one another and speak the language together – like a small estate. There were seminars held in Aras Chronain on this proposal and a seminar at Citywest at the end of October, and there was a huge interest there. “There’s is a similar situation happening in Belfast where a group of people established their own housing estate, and it has gotten bigger and has survived into the second and third generation.” Clondalkin already has an affluent Irish speaking population. About 1,500 students receive their education through Irish in the area, which boasts the Irish Cultural Centre, Aras Chronain. Brian Gavin of Aras Chronain said the organisation was constantly trying to promote the Irish language in a vibrant and lively way. “Aras Chronain is the headquarters of a community-based group called Muintir Chronain, which was set up in the mid-1960s. Their view initially was to set up an all-Irish school for their children in the area and then to set up a social network so that the language would be kept alive outside of the school. “We try to keep Irish alive in a vibrant way for people with different levels of Irish. In Aras Chro-
Dublin Gazette Newspapers, Second Floor, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14 Tel: 01 - 6010240. Email: sales@dublingazette.com news@dublingazette.com web: www.dublingazette.com twitter: @DublinGazette Visit us on Facebook at DublinGazetteNewspapers
Clondalkin already has an affluent Irish speaking population and boasts the Irish Cultural Centre, Aras Chronain
nain we work with all people from Clondalkin and south Dublin county and loads of other organisations. We try to actively promote the
Irish language as a living language. A lot of the activities we do are based around the culture, heritage and music, which we keep alive by doing loads
of different activities that happen all the time.” For more information about the work of Aras Chronain, visit www.araschronain.ie.
10 December 2015 CLONDALKIN Gazette 3
social media | ‘information posted on facebook is often inaccurate’
Wuffles returned to owner
Report crimes to us first, say the gardai Ian Begley
People reporting crimes on social media rather than to their local Garda station is a rising problem for gardai, as discussed at the December Joint Policing Committee (JPC). Superintendents from Lucan, Clondalkin, Tallaght and Rathfarnham expressed how information posted freely on social media sites can often be inaccurate and harmful to their investigations. While they acknowledged the benefits of online community and neighbourhood watch groups, they raised concern about people choosing to report criminal activity on social media, rather than their local
Garda station. The superintendents said they needed people to report crime to them and not to rely on social media sites looking for information. A senior officer from Lucan Garda Station told The Gazette that sharing information on a community space was welcome as long as the information was factual. “Where you have a system that’s designed to let people post information about suspicious activity in their area is good in one way, but often people add inaccurate allegations to the post which people then consider as fact. “I would advise people to contact the gardai first regarding criminal activity
rather than on Facebook,” he said. Cllr Deirdre O’Donovan (Ind), who is chairperson of the JPC, said that people have to start becoming more willing to contact the gardai if they witness something suspicious in their neighbourhood. She said: “The basis of a neighbourhood watch scheme is that if you see something suspicious in your area then you contact the guards, but with the advent of social media the tendency is to just make the neighbours aware of what’s going on. “If you’re not reporting legitimate incidents to the guards then there is no way for them to file a report and investigate the matter,” said Cllr O’Donovan.
drawing on bus service PICTURED is Sophie Power from St Bernadette’s National School, Clondalkin, with her own entry to the annual Dublin Bus Children’s Art Competition, which received 2,000 entries from 25 schools in the greater Dublin area as part of the Dublin Bus Community Spirit Initiative. Dedicated school co-ordinators visit primary and secondary schools across Dublin to communicate how to use and respect public transport through talks, exhibiting antisocial behaviour DVDs and on bus CCTV demonstrations. A selection of the winning competition entries was chosen to be displayed in a calendar. The competition promotes the value of public transport in local communities to younger passengers and creates awareness of the negative impact of anti-social behaviour on buses for the local community. Picture: Colm Mahady/Fennells
A very dapper looking pup that went viral on social media was recently returned to its rightful owner. Wuffles, the festive bowtie wearing dog, was found wandering the grounds of Tallaght Hospital on November 29 and then handed in to the local Garda station shortly after. A picture of Wuffles was posted on the Garda Twitter page, appealing for its owners to come forward, and soon became a viral sensation. Julie Smith of Beautiful Cuts dog grooming and training in Clondalkin, recognised Wuff les immediately and contacted the owner, returning her safe and sound.
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employment | Demand for neopost services reason for workforce expansion
100 jobs at digital communications provider ian begley
DIGI TA L c o m m u n i c a tions provider Neopost has announced plans for a €15m investment, creating 100 jobs at its new European operations centre in Citywest over the next two years.
The jobs will be in the areas of management, finance, IT, telesales and administration, and arise as a result of increasing numbers of customers choosing Neopost to help them shift from physical documents to digital communications. Minister Frances Fitzgerald
said: “This is very good news for Citywest and the surrounding areas, including Saggart, Clondalkin, Rathcoole, Newcastle. “These are highly skilled jobs across a range of disciplines. This announcement reinforces the momentum of
economic recovery, highlighting the faith international jobcreating companies have in the our talented workforce. “Behind every new job is a person or family benefiting in their own lives from the wider recovery. This is a crucial step in ensuring every family and
every household benefits from renewed prosperity and opportunity. This investment in Citywest is great news for the area. I wish the team at Neopost the best in their venture over the coming months.” Chief operating officer of Neopost Clem Garvey said
Dublin would be a very important site for the company’s global operations. He added: “With its ease of doing business and impressive track record in shared services centres, Ireland is the ideal location for our European operations centre.”
Freyne’s Pharmacy marks 80 years of its monster raffle for customers FREYNE’S Pharmacy in Clondalkin will hold its monster draw on Saturday, December 16, as part of its monthly raffle in celebration of the pharmacy’s 80th anniversary. People will be in with a chance of winning a €2,500 travel voucher, an iPhone 5 and many other prizes. To mark the celebration, Dublin manager Jim Gavin will be in attendance, along with Olympic silver medallist Kenneth Egan and Tommy Keogh, president of the Round Tower GAA club. Up to the day of the event, anyone who buys a product in the pharmacy will be given a raffle ticket and be
included in the draw. Freyne’s was first established in 1935 by Mayo native John Freyne and his wife, Margaret, when Clondalkin was a very small village with a population of about 250 residents. Garrett Freyne took over the running of the business when his father died in 1979. Speaking to the Gazette, Freyne said: “This raffle will conclude our anniversary celebrations and I would like to say a big thank you to all of our customers. “There have been over 200 winners of prizes already and I wish everyone the best of luck on the day.” The Lufthansa Technik Airmotive plant closed early last year
Rathcoole | millions could be returned
Retraining funds left unspent – SF Ian Begley
Millions of euros earmarked for redundant workers from the Lufthansa Technik plant in Rathcoole for retraining purposes is set to be returned unspent to the European Commission, a Clondalkin councillor has claimed. The European Globalisation Fund (EGF) is a European Commission programme that provides training and employment supports to redundant workers. In 2014, the Irish Government applied for EGF funding for the 424 workers who lost their jobs following the closure of Lufthansa Technik in 2013.
Earlier this year, the European Commission agreed a programme worth €4.14m for the redundant workers with supports to be provided to an additional 200 young people not in education training and employment. The Commission contributes €2.49m to the fund, the remainder of which is to be funded by the Government. Any EU funds not spent by September 2016 must be returned to the Commission. According to Cllr Eoin O Broin (SF), up to €3m could be left unspent with 60% of that being returned to Brussels. “The Minister responsible for the EGF pro-
grammes, Damien English [Junior Minister for Education] has repeatedly refused to tell the Dail how much of the €4.14m has been spent to date. “On the basis of the information we have on the Lufthansa Technik programme from the two EGF implementation reports, it appears that this programme will struggle to have 50% of its funding spent by September 2016,” he said. In response, a spokesperson from the Department of Education said that Minister English notes that the take-up of EGF support measures was less than anticipated. “While noting that the final eligible expenditure
on the programme will not be definitively known until after the programme ends in September 2016, Minister English advised that no interim claims for expenditure under the programme had been approved by the EGF managing authority in the Department. “However, the Minister noted that the take-up of EGF support measures was less than anticipated. It must be highlighted that programme participation is not mandatory but subject to the individual choice of each eligible beneficiary.” Details of this programme are publicly available on the dedicated Department website www.egf.ie
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don’s dublin Wordy place that keeps spotlight on Ireland’s best writers For a city that has given the world so much fine literature, the Dublin Writers’ Museum tells a story through its collection of letters, books and personal possessions of many great writers. It was set up in 1991 and with an interesting, chronological layout it is easy to follow the development of Irish writing from the late 17th century to Samuel Beckett who died in 1989. The building, at 18 Parnell Square, dates back to 1780 when Lord Farnham was its first occupant. It changed hands a few times until George Jameson (of the Jameson distilling family) bought the house in 1891. Over the years, he made major refurbishments, including the creation of the wonderful Gallery of Writers on the first floor. In the first room you can find out about the beginnings of Irish poetry and storytelling with the emergence of Swift, Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan whose play The Rivals gave the world the word malapropism. There is a unique document with Jonathan Swift’s signature
Clondalkin’s Garda station ranked fourth in burglary and related offences
and a first edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Statistics: | 519 burglaries per 100,000 people
The second room concentrates on works from the Irish Literary Revival at the end of the 19th century. The opening of the Abbey Theatre in 1904 was a pivotal moment with its productions of plays by playwrights WB Yeats, JM Synge and Sean O’Casey and there are many original programmes from the time. The signed copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses is worth the visit for any Joycean fan. Upstairs in the gallery there are fine portraits and glass cabinets with letters, papers and other personal items. The telephone that Samuel Beckett had in his Paris apartment that allowed
Clondalkin comes fourth in top 50 crime hotspots
Ian Begley
him chose whether to speak to a caller or not is quirky. There is the piano that Joyce played, and the chair that GF Handel sat on when conducting Messiah at the Great Music Hall in Fishamble Street in 1642. The museum is a popular visitor attraction and it’s easy to see why. It’s a wordy place.
Don Cameron
www.donsdublin.wordpress.com
Dublin Writers’ Museum, at 18 Parnell Square, follows the development of Irish writing from the late 17th century to Samuel Beckett
C l o n da l k i n i s ranked fourth in the Top 50 crime spots for burglary and related offences, with 519 burglaries per 100,000 people, as revealed at the December Joint Policing Committee (JPC). The information, which was provided to the Central Statistics Office by An Garda Siochana, revealed that Clondalkin’s second Garda station in Ronanstown ranked 34th with 285 burglary offences. Lucan is listed 37th with 285, Tallaght 11th with 372, Rathcoole 49th with 266, Rathfarnham 27th and Ballyfermot in at number 48 with 268 burglary and related offences per 100,000 population.
The statistics also showed that to date this year, 592 burglary offences have been committed in both Clondalkin and Ronanstown, 233 in Lucan, 705 in Tallaght and 121 in Rathcoole. A senior officer from Lucan Garda Station told The Gazette they have developed a strategy that targets repeat offenders with the aim of reducing burglaries. He said: “A list of repeat offenders has been drawn up and they’re now being targeted. Some of them are residents in our own area and some of them come from neighbouring areas. “Every week there is an analysis done on burglaries that have taken place – where they happened and the time they
occurred. These create hotspot areas and our patrols would then concentrate on these locations. “The level of burglaries are reducing, but are still high. There are in the region of 10 burglaries a week in the Lucan and Ronanstown area, but this is coming from numbers that were nearly double that.” The garda source also said that he would advise the general public to be very conscious of their property, especially during the Christmas period. “We do not expect people to stand guard over their house, but we would ask them to keep their doors and windows locked and to activate their alarms when they
leave, and not to leave their property visible or exposed in their car or house. “The only person that should not enter your house through your front door during Christmas time is Santa Claus,” he said. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said the Government’s response to burglaries and crime is focused on two key objectives: investing in more gardai and vehicles; and strengthening the law to get tougher on serious and repeat offenders. “We want gardai to be mobile and visible in the community, not stuck behind desks in stations. “That’s why this Government has invested over €34m in new Garda vehicles since 2012 – a
massive increase on the paltry €4.8m provided by the previous Government in their last three budgets. “Over 640 new vehicles are coming on stream in 2015.” The Minister added that the recent launch of Operation Thor, a €5m plan to tackle prolific burglary gangs, is a very good initiative to reduce crime. These strategies i n cl u d e : a d d i t i o n a l high-visibility patrols in identified burglary hotspots; increased use of checkpoints to tackle the criminal gangs using the national road network; the use of new high powered vehicles and programmes to help reduce re-offending by prolific offenders.
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Gazettegallery
| Exhibition to celebrate birth date of wb Yeats
Cast and welded bronze by John Coll
Catherine O’Riordan and Jessica Imhoff. Pictures: Stephen Fleming Photography
Gathering for Lonely Impulse to Delight S
O FINE Art Editions joined the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the birth of William Butler Yeats recently with the opening of A Lonely Impulse of Delight exhibition at its Anne Street gallery, which features original works from Ireland’s top writers and artists.
John Sibbery
Inspired by the poetry of WB Yeats, works included in exhibition are drawn from John Banville, Colm Toibin, Edna O’Brien, Paul Muldoon, Eavan Boland, Donald Teskey, Hughie O’Donoghue, Richard Gorman, Martin Gale, John Behan, Lars Nyberg, Diana Copperwhite, Amelia
Peter Fallon and Senator Susan O’ Keeffe (Lab)
Declan Ronan and Eleanor Kelly
Stein, Michael Canning, and Barbara Rae. The exhibition also includes items of historic and artistic interest from Cuala Press, which was set up in 1908 by Elizabeth and Lilly Yeats. The show will tour in Ireland and internationally, starting in Sligo.
Kate Betts
Kate Lawlor and Dairine McCafferty
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10 CLONDALKIN Gazette 10 December 2015
Gazettegallery
| Carmel Tuite is on a mission to send her son
Sharief and Al Hassan Hassan
Kerri Farrell and Carmel Tuite Djellabi, Zaki’s mum, with the Let’s Do It For Zaki poster behind. Pictures: Jolanta Rossiter
Pulling out all the stops to do it for Zaki
Young singer Tessy Ehigues
Lucy Lawlor
Junior Miss Ireland Kathleen Yasmin and Reece Byrne
S
IOPA Lara in Bawnogue supplied the dresses for a fabulous fashion show at the Red Cow in aid of eight-year-old Zaki Djellabi from Clondalkin, who needs to travel to the US for major surgery. Zaki’s mother, Carmel Tuite, is on a mission to raise €80,000 for her son,
who has cerebral palsy and is in need of life-changing surgery. Zaki has been accepted for surgery at the Children’s Hospital in Missouri, without which he will lose mobility and become wheelchair dependent for the rest of his life. On the night, young and the not-so-
young took to the catwalk to strut their stuff in aid of this very good cause. Tickets for the fashion show were €10 and all proceeds went to Let’s Do It for Zaki campaign. To donate to Zaki visit www.idonate. ie/letsdoitforzaki or visit www.facebook.com/LetsDoItForZaki.
Colette Tuite, Minister Frances Fitzgerald, Carmel Tuite Djellabi and Adam Djellabi
Sarah Lahiff
10 December 2015 CLONDALKIN Gazette 11
who has cerebral Palsy to the US for major surgery to ease his condition
Nataliya Tolstova
Olapeju Bammeke with her daughter, Rachel
Louise Moles and Aran Fagan
Adam McCarthy struts his stuff on the catwalk
Amy and Rachel Kennedy
12 clondalkin gazette 10 December 2015
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14 Gazette 10 December 2015
Gazette
diary dublinlife Oceans of fun at Imaginosity IRELAND’S only interactive children’s museum for those under nine years, Imaginosity, is gearing up for Santa’s Science Lab. The little ones can join the Imaginosity elves as they experiment and conjure up festive workshops in the lab in the Plaza in Sandycove. Santa will visit Imaginosity on December 19 for one day only, to meet everyone and get his delivery list prepared. Tickets are €4 in addition to Imaginosity standard admission rates, and each child will leave with a small gift following their chat with Santa. Tickets can be booked by calling 01-2176130. Oceans of Fun with Imaginosity will take place on Sunday, December 20, in the National Maritime Museum of Ireland as part of this year’s
Dun Laoghaire Maritime Christmas Festival. This interactive family experience will include craft-making, storytelling and lots of Christmassy science. Tickets are €5 on Eventbrite. Having recently enjoyed a day out there, The Diary can highly recommend Imaginosity for a couple of hours of fun.
Guinness toasts its many fans THE Guinness Storehouse recently marked its 15th anniversary and celebrated the 14 million visitors from 25 countries it has welcomed in that time. The iconic St James’s Gate site first opened its doors to visitors in December 2000 following a €42m redevelopment of the 113year-old former fermentation plant.
Former US President Bill Clinton was the first in a long line of famous faces to visit the Storehouse in its inaugural year, other famous faces who have visited since include Queen Elizabeth II, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Susan Sarandon, Dermot O’Leary, Adam Sandler, Pink, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Conan O’Brien, The Coronas, The Script and Chris O’Dowd. “Our first 15 years have been truly amazing with many highlights but winning the title of Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards in September is a particularly special one,” said managing director Paul Carty.
Christmas tree dilemma solved THE Christmas tree
Drummers Ronan Brady and Maire Dee get into the swing and are suspended in the pint-shaped centre of the seven-floor visitor attraction. Picture: Andres Poveda
conundrum of whether to go for a real, authentic tree with its beautiful scent and texture or invest in the convenience of an artificial tree that will last for many Christmases to come may
have been solved by the Garden House, Airfield Estate, Dundrum, which stocks a wide selection of both. Bryan Maher, founder of The Garden House, says you cannot have enough lights on a Christmas tree. He makes a number of useful suggestions about how to dress your tree to best effect. In addition, he throws some light on the important issue of lights, again providing many useful tips on how best to use and maximise their effect, including the lights’ tone and those that can be timed to turn
on and off at a certain time each day. For a more comprehensive insight into how to make the most of your Christmas tree this Christmas see www.thegardenhouse.ie or call The Garden House, Airfield Estate, Dundrum on 01 531 2010.
bus users get info for christmas IRELAND’S second National Workplace Radio station 103.2 Dublin City FM and Dublin Bus will work together in the run-up to Christmas to ensure commuters have service
updates about buses in the city. Chief inspectors from Dublin Bus will be located in the traffic control centre at Dublin City Council from where the Livedrive Programme is broadcast. Mick Hanley, chief executive of Dublin City FM, said that while the station had been giving traffic commuters upto-the-minute information each day for over 10 years, this would be the first time information relevant to bus commuters will be broadcast, including the Nitelink services in the city.
10 December 2015 Gazette 15
Gazette
feature A DAY IN THE LIFE: Suzanne jackson likes to dine out with loved ones
A busy blogger who is always on the go Keith Bellew
IRELAND’s leading fashion and beauty blogger Suzanne Jackson of So Sue Me is one busy woman. From running her successful blog to starting her own beauty brand, r unning workshops, maintaining a large social media following and public appearances, Jackson somehow manages to squeeze it all in. The Gazette caught up with her to discuss what a day in her hectic life entails. She has just returned from fundraising for charities close to her heart, Dogs Aid and Dogs Trust and says: “I’ve been raising money for this in the run-up to Christmas. There are always a lot of unwanted dogs around this time so they need the extra support.” As for a typical day in her life? Well, there isn’t one. She usually starts each day the same way: “I get up in the morning and I always have breakfast, which gets me ready for the day and gives me energy. I work from home – I did have an office but I just felt that I was more productive at home.” Jackson then sets about organising her emails: “I’ll sit down and spend about an hour on emails. I have a PA who goes through them for me and marks
important ones that I need to get back to. Then I will get myself ready and go about my day. “Generally speaking, I could be going to an appearance so I’ve got to get full glam; I’ll do my hair and make-up and then travel to whatever event I’m appearing at. “I’ll then usually spend about an hour there, just meeting with other guests or doing a talk depending on the type of event.” The later part of the day usually sees Jackson attending another event. “I would usually have a launch party to attend, like the launch of a new make-up palette for example, or a film premier.” Last week, she was a judge at Ms Universe Ireland and before that she appeared as a guest host on TV3’s Xpose, which she loved even though it was somewhat nerve wracking to present one of the country’s most popular shows. “I was really nervous because it’s a show I’ve always watched, and I’ve always looked up to the girls there and admired it for years.” Later in the day, Jackson blogs and manages her social media. “When I come home in the evening, I blog. I’ll probably have my dinner around six and then blog from around seven till 11 at night. This involves
Fashion and beauty blogger Suzanne Jackson
scheduling Facebook posts for the next day and writing blog posts. Then I check my emails one more time and go to bed!”
She rarely gets a chance to switch off, especially with the number of social media followers she has, particularly on Snapchat
where she gets about 65,000 views a snap. “It’s so immediate, it’s so interactive and it’s a more personal way to
connect with followers.” She likes to unwind by eating out with her friends and family. Her favourite spots are Siam Thai in
Malahide and Blue Bar in Skerries. “I manage to fit it in, I have a very active lifestyle. I’m always out and about.”
Gazette
16 Gazette 10 December 2015
dublinlife
the big interview
donal skehan: perfects his recipe for success
A brilliant year ends with a fresh take on lifestyle aisling kennedy
DONAL Skehan is, in many ways, not your stereotypical chef. He is, however, one who is ahead of the curve when it comes to bringing new ways of cooking to his fans.
He does this through his YouTube channel, which has amassed a quarter of a million subscribers in a few years. He is also a TV chef, author and all-round hard worker who, in addition to travelling around Ireland and
abroad for work, married his Swedish sweetheart Sofie Larsson in June. Skehan took time out this week to talk to the Gazette about how he maintains work-life balance, and how the first year of married life is going. “Married life is
great; it’s going really well. It’s our first Christmas together as a married couple, which will be great. I don’t think much has changed but it’s been really lovely and it’s a lovely time to kind of step back and look at the year we’ve had. It’s been a really brilliant year. “We will be doing a Swedish Christmas this year. We do it year-on year-off, and so this year is Sophie’s year. They do a different type of Christmas dinner in Sweden because they celebrate Christmas on the evening of Decem- Enjoying the great outdoors at Howth with Max, Donal Skehan is planning to expand ber 24. They have pickled his career horizons in 2016 fish, Christmas ham and a kind of fishy potato dish; every weekend right from that we have such beauti- continues to be. It’s such we’re also going to do a the summer up until ful landscape on our door an amazing world though, traditional Irish Christmas Christmas. I was doing all step so I really enjoyed and we’ve just shot a dinner on Christmas Day sorts and not getting the that side of it...I’m not an documentary about the so I’ll get my Irish Christ- time to eat right or exer- extreme sports person Food Tube phenomenon mas dinner after all.” cise. I wasn’t getting the but I do exercise on a for RTE 2 as part of their Skehan admits that at time to stop and breathe regular basis now.” Reality Bites series.” times he has pushed him- deeply. So the cookbook S ke h a n h a s a l s o His fame on the interself to the limits, and says came out of that. become a global internet net has led him to think this time last year life was “We looked at how sensation on his YouTube about capitalising on the not quite as calm as it is we could translate the channel, with over a quar- online market. “In Irenow. “At the end of last cookbook to TV, and ter of a million subscrib- land, there’s only about year, I came to a point that’s when we came up ers. Jamie Oliver signed a handful of us creating where I knew everything with idea of my TV pro- him up to his FoodTube content and making it a needed a bit of a shake gramme, Cook Eat Burn. channel, which is a first business online from a up. I knew I wasn’t eat- The interesting thing is for any Irish chef. Oliver YouTube perspective. ing the right foods and I how you match exercise has since praised SkeI don’t think Ireland wasn’t exercising prop- with food.” han’s strong work ethic has even got into that rouerly, and I think that was Cook Eat Burn, run- and ambition. tine of watching YouTube the catalyst for me.” ning as a six-part series on “I’m separate to Jamie’s the way the Americans This led him to take RTE, sees Skehan take on Food Tube now; because or the British would. It’s stock of his life and physical challenges such I’ve grow n so many sub- an interesting place to inspired his recently as mountain climbing, scribers we moved on by be, and we’re planning to released book, Fresh. kayaking and coasteer- ourselves. We were with move to LA to pursue a “Fresh is a cookbook ing, during which he got him for the last two years bit of the YouTube side that is all about healthy to see some of Ireland’s though and he’s been fan- of things in February for eating. Last year, I was most beautiful scenery. tastic to us. He’s been a a few months. So watch out working pretty much “We forget as Irish people really great support and this space!”
10 December 2015 Gazette 17
cinema P22
asdfsdaf P27 music P23
OUT&ABOUT Never be out of the loop on what’s happening in Dublin! Let Out&About be your guide to all that is stylish, cultural and essential across the city and beyond this week
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style P18
Pets can you be cosmo’s whole universe?
Ballet Ireland lead dancers Kesi Olley-Dorey and James Loffler during final rehearsals for the much loved and witty ballet Coppelia Picture: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland
opera: how one man’s solution to loneliness influenced others
It’s a doll’s life for Coppelia
keith bellew news@gazettegroup.com
BALLET Ireland’s edgy new take on the 19th century comic ballet, Coppelia, will visit Draiocht, Blanchardstown, on December 18 as part of its national tour. Coppelia tells the story of a dollmaker, who creates an incredibly lifelike doll to ease his loneliness. The result is a doll so realistic that everyone who encounters her thinks she’s a living woman, and one unfortunate young man falls in love with her. In this new production, the action takes place at a 1950s country fair, and Coppelia is the face of a cosmetics line.
Speaking to the Gazette, director Anne Maher says Ballet Ireland always attempts to give its own spin to any production, to make it easier for audiences to identify with. She says the reasoning behind setting it in the 1950s was manifold. One reason was that the feminist movement was very strong in the 1950s, and the heroine of the piece, Swanhilda, is “very much a feisty and independent woman so we thought that would be a great place to set her. We were looking around for different ideas and this sort of jumped out”. She says the idea worked really well. “Musically, the theme is around some of the more traditional pieces of music in the original score; folk danc-
es like the mazurka or the csardas. “Obviously, the large sections of the score have stayed in their original format, but then we’ve taken some parts and tinkered with them a little. “Some of them are set in a more bluegrass style, and because those are originally folk tunes, they transcend beautifully into another kind of idiom. “It worked fantastically well on a musical level and also stylistically, and then from the perspective of the actual libretto and storyline.” She says the most challenging aspect of the show was not in the adaptation or the performance, but containing their ambitions for the show, so they do not exceed the budget “That would be the biggest thing.
We had such fine and fantastically creative collaborators working with us on the production, it was all about containing the amount of ambition that they had to manage as much as we could within the budget that we had,” she says. The show has been on tour for a number of weeks now, performing at numerous venues throughout the country. Maher says it has been very well received. The best part of it, is the audiences really seem to “get it”, she says. Ballet Ireland’s Coppelia will visit Draiocht, Blanchardstown, on December 18 as part of its national tour. For more information visit www. draiocht.com
Dublin Gazette Newspapers has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for lost and abandoned dogs. Cosmo came to us as a puppy and has been in a home before but has struggled hugely with being left alone and his previous family just didn’t have the time to meet his needs. His devoted team of carers at Dogs Trust have done so much to help him and now he’s ready to find a home to call his own. It’s all he’s ever wanted. If you live in an adult-only home with someone there the vast majority of the time, then Cosmo could be the most perfect companion for you. He will need a little help to learn to settle in to a home again but when he does, you will see just how loving and wonderful he truly is. If you think you can offer Cosmo a loving home, please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website www. dogstrust.ie. You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/ dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_ie.
OUT&ABOUT
STYLE
Littlewoods Spot mesh prom dress €35
Gazette
18 Gazette 10 December 2015
River Island Turquoise gem statement necklace €26
River Island Black bead embellished crop top €65
Debenhams and Shaws
A good foundation is the key to being well-put together Any good stylist worth her salt will say that good undergarments are the foundation to a well-put together look. Now that it’s party dress season, a great strapless bra is a must. Eve’s bra is a great solution to discrete dressing. The bra has been updated too. The new wing bra is under-wired for extra support and the adhesive wings are stronger, again for extra support. While finding the right size bra is often half the battle, tricky necklines, plunging backs, falling straps, and poking underwires are just some of the problems every woman faces at one time or another Eve’s Silicone Bra is the perfect solution. Comprising just cups, it’s a skin friendly selfadhesive silicone bra perfectly attachable to the skin. A strapless and backless bra only consisting of a couple of self-adhesive silicone bra cups. It’s perfect for wearing under any sheer clothing, with backless dresses, party dresses and low-cut necks. The adhesive is extremely strong and can be worn up to 200 times. The bra can be machine washed but it’s recommended to hand wash it for a longer life. Eve’s Bra is available in Shaws and Debenhams nationwide and costs €29.95 . The new Eve’s Bra is in stores from December 1.
The
LBD jessica maile
Littlewoods Fringe hem tunic €53
Eve’s Silicone Bra is €29.95 and available at
River Island Black suede lace-up heels €85
the little black dress. Simple and timeless and a staple of the holiday party season. Some say it’s the safe route but I say it can be original and, the best part, it usually can be worn year round. Whether it’s sparkly, fringed, laced or just a simple mini dress, the sky is the limit here. You can always add a shot of colour with some bright heels or a quirky clutch.
Penneys Ruffle front sandal €19
Rochelle Humes Cape mini dress €80
Penneys Jump suit
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OUT&ABOUT
FOOD&DRINK
BITESIZEDNEWS
These cupcakes will go down a treat
Enjoy tree-mendous Christmas cupcakes THIS week, we have a delicious (and very timely) recipe for Christmas Tree Cupcakes, which makes 10-12 cupcakes, topped off with buttercream. These cupcakes use that timeless Irish kitchen staple, Siucra sugar; for further information, see www.facebook. com/siucraireland, Instagram.com/SiucraIreland or www.siucra.ie. They’ll look great on any Christmas table – but they won’t stay there for long, once hungry eyes spot them!
Cupcakes Ingredients 125g Siucra light golden brown sugar 125g butter, at room temperature 2 medium free-range eggs 150g self-raising flour 3 tbsps milk 2 tsps vanilla extract Preparation • Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. • Line a bun tin with 12 paper cases. • Beat together the butter and Siucra light golden brown sugar until pale and fluffy. • Beat in the eggs, one at a time. • Mix in the vanilla extract, flour and milk. • Divide the mixture equally between the 12 cases. • Bake for 15-20 minutes, then cool on a wire rack before piping on the buttercream. Buttercream Ingredients 450g Siucra icing sugar 225g butter, at room temperature 3 tspn vanilla extract Green food colouring Sugar decorations: silver balls, stars, circles Preparation • Beat the butter and Siucra icing sugar together. Add the vanilla extract and beat again. It takes a few minutes to turn into buttercream. • Add the green food colouring gradually until you have the desired colour. • Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. • Pipe onto each cupcake, starting wide at the bottom and getting narrower as you go up. Try to do this in one movement. • Place a star decoration on top and coloured sugar decorations or silver balls around the tree.
The Elephant’s Ear Fusion restaurant
Landscape Road, D14 Come to Churchtown create a comfortable
NEW restaurants are popping up all over Dublin lately, but they’re usually in the city centre. For those of us who live and work in suburbia, it’s like manna from heaven when a new place opens its doors, especially if they are offering something exciting and that is on a par, if not surpasses, what you can get in the city centre. That is the case with The Elephant’s Ear, in Churchtown. Strange name, I know, but nothing is strange about the food – exciting, inventive, colourful and downright tasty are just some of the adjectives that spring to mind. Just above the Glenside Pub, this place has been given a complete overhaul and the soft, muted greys, along with the boothed seating and soft lighting, attribute to the relaxed atmosphere. The maitre-d said they were still working on the music, which is a bit of a mishmash, but if this
and you could be singing the praises of The Elephant’s Ear, above the Glenside pub. Soft, muted tones space – all the better to leave you receptive to the dishes on offer, which certainly don’t disappoint.
The Picky Eater is the only thing they haven’t got right after five weeks in operation, then they are doing well. And, when it comes to the food, they have got everything spot-on. They encourage sharing in this place, and with a selection of “naughty nibbles” or light bites on offer, as well as straight-up starters and mains, there is a big selection to choose from. I would recommend you go for tapas-style dining, and choose from the many delicious small plates on offer.
Taste explosion The fish tacos (€7) were an absolute taste explosion in the mouth, with plenty of sprightly garnish and a dash of lime thrown in for good measure. This dish had us singing, and we couldn’t wait for what was to come. Tuna nachos (€10) with seared tuna fish and plenty of guacamole, were equally as exciting, as
the tacos just came alive on the plate and on the tongue. A gorgonzola dip (€6) with toasted breads had us licking the last droplets from the bowl. Next up were chicken flatbreads (€8), with chicken that felt like it was torn straight from a roasted bird, and came with plenty of peanuts and some satay sauce lashed on top. My sister decided to try a larger plate, just to see what could be expected there, and in the name of research! She loved her pan-roasted rump of lamb with sumac and pomegranate molasses (€15), but in comparison to the smaller plates, there was none ... A dessert combo gave us a sample of a delicious crumble with a crunchy and creamy honeycomb ice cream. A winter fruits jelly and ice ream combo was equally good. The wine list is great too, featuring some adventurous new wines. We chose a Spanish
The colourful dishes were great value, with a taste to match their attractive visuals. Picture: The Picky Eater
Rueda (€26). All in all, this place was a joy from start to finish, with a great team of staff on the floor and in the
kitchen. They also offer brunch and lunch with much of the same menu on offer. I couldn’t recommend it more.
Conclusion AT LAST, someone has remembered the suburbs do exist, and The Elephant’s Ear (at 20 Landscape Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14; tel 089 608 0556) proves a delectable delight, thanks to decent dishes and excellent accompaniments.
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OUT&ABOUT
CINEMA
the night before: entertaining, but muddled
Not quite a turkey dave phillips
IT IS that most wonderful time of the year, when Christmas begins to buoyantly creep into the movies. On cinema screens around the world, films are being angled to become part of the festive pantheon. There is certainly no sense of subtlety in Jonathan Levine’s The Night Before. Smash together The
H a n g ove r a n d B a d Santa, and you’ll have the strange sludge from which Levine has brought to life this full-blown, bad-taste Christmas monster. Taking the tag-team of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, and pairing them with Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Winter Soldier), Levine sets out to tell a very X-rated Xmas adventure. After the sudden death of Ethan’s (Gordon-Lev-
itt) parents over a decade ago, he and his two stoner high-school buddies have made a point of spending Christmas Eve together. But, as they transition into different stages of their lives, they realise that the tradition of getting festively wasted must be broken. Isaac (Rogen) is on the cusp of becoming a father, and Chris (Mackie) is hitting a new level of fame in his NFL career. Ethan, has
just ended a relationship and is struggling to find his place in the world. The intensity of their last Christmas Eve together is ramped up when Betsy (Jillian Bell) gifts Isaac a smorgasbord of drugs and Isaac finds three tickets to the most exclusive party in town – the Nutcracka Ball ... So begins the 100minute rollercoaster comedy that is The Night Before. It may be Christ-
These three buddies find their typical Christmas routines getting interrupted as real life and grown-up issues interrupt their usual slacker habits
mas Eve, but nothing is sacred here. While it hits more often than it misses, you can’t escape the feeling that there is something lacking. While the script is highly improvised, it lacks that sense of genuine ban-
ter that typifies much of Rogen’s earlier work, and makes you wonder where James Franco was when they were casting leads. For fans of Pineapple Express and Knocked Up schools of comedy, this one will be a hit. But
beyond that, will The Night Before earn a place amid the Christmas pantheon? It seems very unlikely, but strange miracles have been known to happen around this time of year. Verdict: 6/10
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MUSIC neil young: bluenote cafe
Take a trip through the archive to 1988 colm murray
Ellie Goulding uses big-name producers, including Max Martin on this album and has already announced a world tour to promote her latest offering to the dance scene.
Ellie Goulding: big guns hit marketing mark
Repetitive Delirium not very memorable colm murray
WITH Delirium (Polydor/Warners), British singer Ellie Goulding has put together what is essentially a playlist of singles destined for frequent repeat on the radio and in the clubs, all with catchy rhythms and her this-can-onlybe-Ellie-Gouldingsinging distinctive vocal style. She’s pulled out the big guns, working with big-name producers like Max Martin, and has already announced a world tour for the
album — there aren’t any ballads as such in the 16 tracks. Overall, Delirium is a polished effort, if not a particularly memorable one. I t i n c l u d e s L ove Me Like You Do, her smash hit from the Fifty Shades of Gray movie as well as the single currently getting airplay, On My Mind. Other highlights are Keep On Dancin’ and Don’t Need Nobody. I t g e t s r e p e t i t i ve , dance track after dance track, and lyrically it’s fairly bland — Love!
--------------------------
‘Part of the problem is the album’s length...it is almost an hour long in its shortest form’
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Attraction! Ooh! But if you’re looking for something that will get you to move, this will do it. It is unfortunate that Delirium cannot reach that level more consist-
ently. Part of the problem is the album’s length: Delirium is almost an hour in its shortest form, and there are deluxe versions of the album that stretch out over 25 tracks. Even appreciating Goulding’s prolific output, this suggests she likes these songs so much she can’t bear to let them go. But pop is an ar t form that rewards concision, and this album’s stronger tracks get lost in clumps that do not connect.
FEW artists could keep us entertained with an ongoing series of live releases in an archives series. Neil Young can. Bluenote Cafe (Warner Brothers) is the latest in the series, which has released live albums every one or two years since 2006. Containing seven unreleased songs, the 23-track double album was recorded in 1988 at a variety of venues with the Bluenote Cafe band. Featuring a six-member horn section to play tracks from the 1988 studio album This Notes for You, which also used a horn section on the majority of the album. Young has performed with a variety of bands throughout his career, from Buffalo Springfield, Booker T and the MGs (whom he brought to Slane in 1993), and Crazy Horse, who also feature. Young toured in support of his 1988 album, This Note’s for You, the year it came out
Although he recorded each show, the footage has never been available — until now. The albumn features favourites from this “funky and heartfelt” period of Young’s career, as well as previously unreleased tracks like Soul of a Woman, Bad News Comes to Town, Ain’t It the Truth, I’m Goin’, Crime of the Heart, Doghouse, Fool for Your Love and a 19-minute long rendition of Tonight’s the Night. It is seriously strong with more than two hours of live tracks from what was possibly the funkiest period of Young’s career.
5sos: sounds good feels good
Album without gamble colm murray
THE album sounds okay and feels exactly like what you’d expect from a band with the sole mission of delivering palatable rock songs to a global audience of teenage girls. 5 Seconds of Summer are not in a position to gamble away their fame by veering too far off course here. The result is Sounds Good Feels Good (Capitol/Warners) , which has 17 tracks that push no musical boundaries and explore no topics so salacious as to deter fans of this generation’s Blink-182.
Permanent Vacation speaks to the underachiever in us all, but the track sounds like every song Green Day might have lef t on the cutting room floor because it was too soft around the edges. Sounds Good Feels Good is obviously more pop than punk – the slick production is peppered with unnecessary vocal overdubs
and the album’s sof test ballad, San Francisco, sounds like One Direction. Cynics will also sneer at some clunky lyrics – “I want to feel your love like the weather, all over me” they sing on Vapor. But then again, there’s plenty here for the band’s teenage fans to relate to. Within the first four songs, 5SOS shout out underachievers, college dropouts and kids battling low self-esteem. No fear, 5SOS will be there for you, just charming enough to deliver songs you’ll disavow liking as soon as you hit college!
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OUT&ABOUT Gazette
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Shaws & Boyers Dice evening bag €25
10 December 2015 Gazette 25
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GIFT GUIDE
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26 clondalkin gazette 10 December 2015
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SPORT
FastSport St Pat’s make early signings for new term: ST PATRICK’S Athletic confirmed the signings of David Cawley from Sligo Rovers and Michael Barker from Bray Wanderers, while also the re-signing of goalkeeper Brendan Clarke this week. Midfielder Cawley joins the Saints having won the League, FAI Cup and the Setanta Sports Cup at the Showgrounds. Defender Barker, 22, joins the Inchicore side having played with Bohemians, UCD and Bray Wanderers where he made 32 appearances in the Premier Division last year. The re-signing of Clarke means the Saints’ keeper is entering his 13th season with the club, having made 169 appearances to date between the posts. Clarke became the first ever Saints’ goalkeeper to be named the PFAI Goalkeeper of the Year in 2013, while he has also won the SSE Airtricity League, FAI Cup, EA Sports Cup and President’s Cup,
cricket: 2016 world cup place secured for irish women’s side
Delany’s runs key in T20 win sport@dublingazette.com
THE Irish women’s cricket team, made up entirely of players currently with Dublin clubs, finished their T20 World Cup qualifiers with a flourish last Saturday as they saw off Bangladesh in the final in Thailand with a last-ball victory. It was a game that had everything, ending with the umpires forced to adjudge on a “Mankad”style run-out off what would have been the final delivery with the scores tied and thunder and lightning rapidly closing in on the Terdthai Ground in Bangkok. Salma Khatun sent down the 20th over for the Tigers with Ireland needing nine to win but
Leinster CC’s Laura Delany and YMCA’s Lucy O’Reilly managed to get eight runs from the first five balls to tie it up. Khatun then attempted to run out Delany without delivering the last ball but, after much deliberation, the umpires ruled against the bowler’s appeal. O’Reilly gleefully thumped the actual final delivery – a rank long hop – to the midwicket boundary to spark wild celebrations in the Irish camp. It concluded a superb week for the side as they cruised to the showpiece World Cup finals in India which take place in 2016. They swept past the Netherlands, China and Zimbabwe in the group phase before, crucially, beating
Scotland in the semi-final in what was a playoff for the World Cup. With that target assured, Ireland duly won the overall title. Having won the toss and opted to bowl against Bangladesh, Pembroke’s Ciara Metcalfe took wickets in successive balls to reduce the Asian side to 21-2. A 74-run stand between Nigar Sultana and Rumana Ahmed then had Ireland very much on the back foot before Metcalfe again came to the rescue, dismissing the former for an impressive 41. Bangladesh ended with a very competitive 105 for 3 from their allotted overs while for the fielding side, Metcalfe was the standout with 3-14. Merrion’s Cecilia Joyce
The Irish women celebrate their final win over Bangladesh. Picture: Ian Jacobs/ICC
and YMCA’s Clare Shillington gave their side’s reply a solid start with 24 before Shillington was bowled by Ahmed for 12. Three quick wickets fell to get Bangladesh back on top before a valuable stand between Laura Delany and Gaby Lewis edged the batting side into a good position. A pair of run outs threatened to ruin their day. But Delany stood firm at the other end and was there unbeaten on 26 as the frenetic conclusion was played out
before a delighted Isobel Joyce was called forward to receive the trophy. Speaking after the final, a delighted Ireland captain Isobel Joyce said: “It’s an amazing feeling and I’m so proud of my team for getting over the line in really tough conditions. “Bangladesh are an excellent bowling team, especially Salma Khatun who was bowling the last over, who is so experienced and would back herself every time to keep any team under
eight runs. “I’m really delighted for Laura Delany because she didn’t have it her own way during her innings, but she stuck in and was there to help the team and Lucy O’Reilly over the line. “The team took it one ball at a time, which is important especially in Twenty20 rather than thinking about the whole match which can overwhelm you, because if we needed 12 or 13 runs off the last over it might have been too much.”
UCD hold edge over Clontarf for the Christmas break sport@dublingazette.com
UCD have enjoyed a fine start to the season, reaching the head of UBL Division 1A
UCD will lead the pack going into the New Year following their 20-12 win over Old Belvedere in the ninth round of Ulster Bank League Division 1A. The Students had the benefit of a very strong wind at the Belfield Bowl and duly swept into a 15-0 interval lead. From a 5m scrum on the quarter hour, the ball was moved wide for winger Tom Fletcher to squeeze over in the left corner. Leinster’s Ross Byrne missed the conversion and a tricky
penalty in the 33rd minute, but UCD enjoyed a productive spell approaching half-time. A lineout maul was finished off by former Ireland Under-20 prop Jeremy Loughman, and Byrne tagged on the conversion and a superb penalty from the 10m line. Classy full-back Daniel Riordan threatened early on the resumption, yet UCD played well facing into the elements, with Byrne’s cross-field kick almost finding Hugo Keenan. UCD were unable to capitalise on a yellow card for Belvo lock Jack Kelly and it was not until
the 63rd minute that flanker Peadar Timmins forced his way over following a succession of five-metre scrums. College’s sixth league win looked assured, but Belvo bounced back with two closing tries - the ever-influential Riordan struck in superb fashion in the 74th minute and a prolonged spell of pressure yielded a score for Kelly. However, the latter conversion was missed by Aidan Wynne, meaning they missed out on a losing bonus point. The teams meet again in the Leinster Senior League Cup
final in two weeks’ time. UCD and Clontarf are locked together on 31 points at the top of the table, with an eight-point gap between them and third-placed Belvo. Tarf picked up only their second try-scoring bonus point of the campaign with a 39-25 victory over Garryowen. The north Dubliners’ new allweather pitch showed its worth on a day when Storm Desmond claimed eight league fixtures, including two top flight games - Cork Constitution v Terenure College and Young Munster v Galwegians.
10 December 2015 gazette 29
Gazette
The swords are out as Rio Olympics near Elite level fencing came to Loughlinstown last week with 21 nations represented at the ninth Irish Open Championships and homegrown athletes are setting sights on the Olympics james hendicott
sport@dublingazette.com
THE BATTLE for Olympic fencing qualification came to Ireland this weekend, as the ninth annual Open Fencing Championships saw fighters for 21 nations clash swords for a place at Rio 2016. DLR Leisure Loughlinstown hosted the event, that included Ireland’s men’s senior team as well as a hefty influx of foreign fencing talent, and comes at a time when the sport appears to be on the up in Ireland. Seventeen-year-old Anna Lee is fresh from a bronze medal at the senior Welsh Open in Cardiff, while teams of young Irish fencers have hit highs at cadet (under16) level over the last few months, dominating contests in Belfast and Marburg (Germany),
capturing four gold medals across a range of age categories at the latter event. Locally, the sport is putting the parts in place to capitalise on recent young successes. “We are beginning to see the blossoming of young talent at a junior (Under-20) and cadet (Under-17) level where young Irish fencers are in turn starting to make their mark abroad” explained Irish Fencing Federation (IFF) chairman, Philip Lee, reflecting on the results. “Attracting these top athletes from abroad to compete here in Ireland is part of our strategy of raising our fencers’ level of competition. “We are looking to encourage and develop our young athletes to one day compete at the highest international level and
I believe it’s working.” The championships, which took place over the weekend of November 28-29, forms the latest part in a deliberate strategy from the sport’s national governing body to nurture young Irish talent and build a sustainable base for the sport in Ireland. The governing body is keen to encourage plenty more to get on board, too, pointing to the array of physical benefits that come with battling it out in the sport. “There are a myriad benefits to fencing from fitness and sporting standpoint,” Lee argues. “Balance, power, anaerobic and aerobic fitness, but it also engages the grey matter through tactical and mental awareness. All of that wrapped in the framework of respect and discipline coming from
Bas Vervuijlen, The Netherlands, right, in action against Mateusz Antkiewicz, Poland, during the Irish Open Fencing Championships final. Picture: Cody Glenn/Sportsfile
the great tradition in this Olympic sport.” Most important, perhaps, Lee believes the sport is “great fun”. Those thinking of involving their children in particular are encouraged to contact Olga Velma on info@pembrokefencing. com. Velma will shortly
Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Israel, New Zealand, Poland and Turkmenistan and a large contingent from Ireland competed in the world cup event this weekend. While several fencers ranked within the top 50 in the world were includ-
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‘Anyone is beatable in this sport; on any given day you can get into the right space and take on anyone’ – Geoffrey Corcoran
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be opening a new club in Loughlinstown, at DLR. So what chance do Ireland’s young fencers have against the world’s best? Speaking about the event, Geoffrey Corcoran, who at 21 has already competed at Junior World Championships, is not intimidated. “Anyone is beatable in this sport,” Corcoran says. “On any given day, if you can get yourself into the right space physically and mentally you can take on anyone. That’s a big part of why I love this sport”. The hope is that enthusiasm can be passed down to the even younger generation of fencers who are looking to follow in his footsteps at World Championships and beyond. Fencers from 21 nations including USA, Canada,
ed in the field and were amongst the favourites to take the much coveted international ranking points, the eventual winner was Bas Vervijlen, former World Championship bronze medallist. The man from the Netherlands edged out Mateusz Antkiewicz of Poland in a competitive final. Along with the men’s Epee satellite World Cup event a further five weapons (men and women’s foil, sabre and epee) were contested in a packed weekend of fencing with over 150 competitors competing. Just over 200 competitors are eventually expected to make their way to Rio, equally balanced across men and women, and featuring in 10 different events.
FastSport
Mini Max McGovern gets reward for super 2015 SANDYFORD’S Harry McGovern, 15, was presented with his trophy for winning the 2015 Mini-Max Karting Championship at the Motorsport Ireland Awards in Dublin last week following a superb year. McGovern added the Motorsport Ireland title to the Munster Mini Max championship and the prestigious “O” Plate and “IRL” Plate championships he also won this year. Having competed in 13 races in 2015, the Medical Banks sponsored driver never finished lower than third and scored an impressive six wins. McGovern drives a Tonykart chassis, runs with the Brennan Tech team and is hugely appreciative of the support he has received from Noel Brennan and the rest of the team. Despite being just 15, he is in his fifth season of karting. In 2012, he won the Most Improved Driver of the Year and, a year later in 2013, he won the Motorsport Ireland Cadet Championship. He then graduated to the faster Mini-Max class and in 2015, won both the C Plate. Looking towards 2016, he will test a Ginetta Junior Ireland car over the winter with a view to possibly competing in that championship but is keen to consider other karting opportunities also. The Motorsport Ireland Awards Ceremony is an annual event in Dublin’s city centre where the champions of all disciplines are honoured by the governing body. This year’s event was held at the Double Tree Hilton hotel and Harry was presented with his award by Brian Kavanagh, chairman of the Motorsport Ireland Karting committee. He was among a number of Dublin winners at the awards event. The award for the national Autocross Grass Surface Saloon Champion went to Ian O’Connell, also from Sandyford. The Ivan Webb Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Irish Motorsport went to Frank O’Donoghue, from Clonsilla, who has been an integral part of the Irish motorsport community for many years.
Gazette
30 clondalkin gazette 10 December 2015
SPORT
FastSport
soccer: new signing scores twice in first collinstown showing
O’Loughlin leads field at Dungarvan U-15 race PROMISING Clondalkin runner Louis O’Loughlin continued his excellent year by becoming a national champion after winning the Under-15 boys’ novice and uneven ages cross country championship last Sunday, writes Nathan Kelly. The Donore Harriers runner, who is also a Round Tower footballer and hurler as well as a Moyle Park student, put in another top quality performance to cross the line around 50m ahead of his club-mate Fathi Aden, pictured above with O’Loughlin, in Dungarvan. The 14-year-old has certainly had a year to remember. In March, he became an AllIreland schoolboy champion when he won the 2,500m event in the minor category. He followed that massive win up by claiming a gold medal in both the 1,100m and 800m events at the West Leinster track and field championships at Santry at the end of April. To add to that, O’Loughlin has been selected to represent Ireland at the upcoming Celtic Games competition which will be held in Scotland in February. All of this success comes despite the fact he is only in his first year at Donore and, prior to that, was never part of a running club. Speaking to GazetteSport after his win at the national championships last Sunday, his father, Andrew O’Loughlin provided further detail to his son’s busy yet successful schedule. “He’s had a really good year and is in good form at the moment. “He became schoolboy champion of Ireland before he was even with a club and it was at that event where he was noticed and he decided to join Donore. “The people there have been great to him in fairness and he’s really kicked-on. “He trains at Donore twice a week, then still plays football and hurling for Tower’s as well as training in school, so he’s busy but enjoying it. He’s just gone 14 but already representing Under-16 and Under-17 squads and he deserves his success. “He’s put in a lot of hard-work and now the benefits have started to come,” added O’Loughlin.
The Collinstown management team of Paul Doyle, Kevin Carroll and Graham Cassin saw their side add another strong win
McKeever’s dream debut
aul premier a
O’Devaney/Dunard Collinstown sport@dublingazette.com
0 4
DY L A N M c K e e v e r announced himself as a Collinstown player with two goals and a stunning performance as Kevin Carroll’s side continued their Premier A title charge last Friday night. T h e 19 - y e a r- o l d signed on the dotted line for the Blues last week and wasted little time in doing what he does best which is putting the ball in the back of the net. O’Devaney, who have been busy in these early
stages of the transfer window themselves, started the game well here and almost went ahead when former Bray Wanderers man Adam Mitchell headed just over. Tow n went ahead against the run of play midway through the half when O’Devaney keeper James Hussey cleared the ball straight to Dean Ebbe and he stroked the ball into an empty net from 25 yards. Just after the 25 minute mark the visitors doubled their lead. A long punt downfield f r o m Tow n s t o p p e r O’Connor fell at the feet
match postponed Peamount left without game for second week peamount United were left frustrated once again as their Continental Tyres Women’s National League game against Castlebar Celtic, scheduled for last weekend, was postponed. Adverse weather conditions made the pitch, along with all of the other pitches in the league, unplayable. It was the second successive weekend that the Peas match had fallen foul of the weather, leaving them without a game since November 14.
of McKeever and the young striker hit a stinging effort past Hussey and into the net. Before the break, the former Liffey Valley Rangers schoolboy star, Longford Town, Oatfield player and Republic of Ireland Under-15 international had his second and Collinstown’s third. Ebbe this time acted as provider, playing a through ball that split the O’Devaney defence and McKeever broke through before calmly slotting the ball past Hussey once more to make it 3-0 at the break. Soon after the restart,
the lively front-man played a key role again as Collinstown got their fourth. He drifted out right and whipped in a great cross that his strike partner Gareth Brogan volleyed into the top corner. It could have been a debut hattrick on 55 minutes for the youngster when he got on the end of a David Doyle cross but his header just strayed wide. Despite being four behind, O’Devaney were still playing some decent stuff and almost pulled one back when Luke Gallagher rode two challenges and hit
an effort from 30 yards that curled just wide. Ebbe, who was once a team-mate of McKeever at Longford almost stole the headlines with what would have been an absolute wonder goal late on. The winger hit a Xabi Alonso-esque effort from the half-way line that looked to be on its way in only to clip the crossbar and bounce down. Some celebrated but the referee said it didn’t cross the line and play went on. It didn’t matter too much as Collinstown had the points in the bag and increased their lead at the top of Premier A.
10 December 2015 CLONDALKIN gazette 31
Gazette
under-14 glory
Round Tower footballers honoured at awards gig
Club Noticeboard Round tower, clondalkin
round Tower’s Under-14 footballers were
honoured last weekend for winning their league at the juvenile presentation night. They claimed the Division3 title in November when they got the better of Na Fianna in the final 1-13 to 0-9. The event was supported by the Irish Fairy Door Company while Dublin Bus also donated city and coastal tour tickets as part of the prizes for the raffle on the night.
OUR Christmas draw tickets are now
weekly hurling workshops this Sun-
available for €5. Please support this
day.
vital club fundraiser, with great prizes Tickets are being distributed to
Eric Finn have passed on words of wis-
members and we encourage you to
dom to the lads and facilitated coach-
offer them to family, friends, work
ing drills. Session starts at 2.30pm at
colleagues and people in your wider
Monastery Road and new hurlers very
circle. Every ticket sold makes a dif-
welcome.
ference. Thanks in advance for your We’re moving into year three of our
charity in the Mill Shopping Centre last
five-year strategic development plan.
Saturday and subsequent fundraiser
An update is now available for people
with Colm Gavin.
to view on our website (click here to
Congratulations to our league win-
access update). If you are interested
ning Under-14 footballers who were
in assisting in implementing this ambi-
presented with their medals over the
tious plan email info@roundtower.ie.
weekend.
This coming Sunday the club is host-
Are you in a position to assist Round
ing a cake sale. It starts at 10.30am
Tower GAA Club with production of
and pop along to pick up some tasty
its newsletter Between the Posts?
treats. If you want to do a bit of baking
The club is seeking a designer to bring
yourself and contribute this would be
the newsletter together on a monthly
very welcome.
basis. Anyone interested can contact
Back in time for Christmas. Club ties are now available to purchase from behind the bar for €15. An excellent stocking filler for a Tower’s man. Mick Jordan of the Dublin Juvenile
Lucan denied minor glory by late flourish
St Jude’s 3-13 Lucan Sarsfields 1-10 sport@dublingazette.com
LUCAN Sarsfields missed out on the Minor A camogie championship to St Jude’s who became the first recipients of the Orla Quill Cup when they won out 3-13 to 1-10 in a superb final at Parnell’s. It was the latest in a series of great games between the sides over the years, contesting league and championship finals with victory always in the balance. This final would prove
no different with both sides giving up a great show for the crowd. After 10 minutes, the sides were level on two points each before Lucan went in front when Aoife McKearney cleverly took advantage of a mix up in front of the Jude’s goalmouth and send the sliotar to the net. Jude’s rose to the challenge, going on to outscore the Lucan girls six points to two for the remainder of the half to give them a slender 0-9 to 1-4 lead at half-time. In reply, Lucan opened the second half with two quick points to leave the
club PRO Mick McGlynn at mcglynn. michael@gmail.com or 087 9082970. Round Tower Lotto 30th November. Jackpot €10,000. Numbers drawn – 22,23,25,28 bonus ball 29.
Development Squad, with many years
No overall winner; the bonus ball
of experience under his belt, will be
winner was GAA for Mothers – c/o
coaching at the Under-13, 14 and 15
Yvonne Doyle.
ST pat’s palmerstown
The Lucan Sarsfields minor camogie side
minor a camogie final
Well done to the juvenile section for their hosting of carols to support local
support.
camogie: st jude’s pair of late goals seals deal
Senior hurlers Paidi Stapleton, Brian McLaughlin, Barry Whelan and
on offer.
sides level for the second time and it was very much game on. A point from Faye McCarthy and one from Caragh Dawson saw Jude’s eke out a slender lead once again. But, on 15 minutes, McCarthy gave Jude’s that little bit of breathing space when, after a determined run, she palmed the ball to the net, giving Jude’s a fivepoint. They were playing the better camogie at this stage and were finishing the stronger but there was still some 10 minutes of normal time
and probably plenty of added time due to injury to Lucan’s goalkeeper Amy Gorman. The Terenure side, though, closed out any Lucan hope of a comeback when Caragh Dawson latched on to two clever passes. She gave the goalie no chance as she superbly dispatched the sliotar to the back of the net on both occasions to secure the victory. It meant her side were awarded the newly commissioned cup, named in memory of Orla Quill, a young Cuala player who died earlier in the year.
THE lotto numbers for this week were
to U-12; a great chance to improve
11, 19, 20 and 30, there was no winner
their hurling/camogie skills and all
so next week’s jackpot will be €6,600.
are welcome.
The draw takes place in the Palm-
The U-9 camogie and girls’ football
erstown House every Sunday night at
training is on every Saturday morn-
10pm and tickets cost €2. Thank you
ing at 10am; all welcome born in 2007
to all our sellers and to all that sup-
and 2008; just drop down and ask for
port our lotto every week.
Conor or Emer.
Our senior hurling/camogie ses-
Any girls or ladies out there inter-
sions will continue in Glenaulin on
ested in playing girls/ladies football,
Fridays from 7-8pm, weather per-
please contact the secretary by
mitting; it’s open to U-14 up to minor
email secretary.stpatrickspalmer-
to improve their hurling/camogie
stown.dublin@gaa.ie stating date of
skills with the senior hurlers taking
birth. Congratulations to our minor
the sessions. The juvenile camogie/hurling skills
camogie team who had a great win
sessions will also continue in Glenau-
on Sunday by five points to win the
lin on Friday from 6-7pm, weather
shield final, brilliant performance
permitting. It is open to players up
and well done to all involved.
Got a story? we want to know!
Call our sport team on 60 10 240 and SELECT OPTION 3
or email sport@dublingazette.com
32 clondalkin gazette 10 December 2015